The Afterglow of the Harvest Festival

On the streets of Magnolia, the colorful flags of the Harvest Festival still fluttered gently in the breeze, and the air was still filled with the sweet fragrance of the celebration.

Residents gathered in twos and threes at street corners and alleyways, their faces still beaming with smiles, talking about the interesting things that happened at the festival and the earth-shattering civil war.

There was also the Miss Fairy beauty pageant, where Qing Strauss was proven to be a pervert and disqualified.

In the end Erza changed her usual strict demeanor and won first place with her unexpectedly cute appearance, gaining a lot of support.

The other votes were neck and neck, and Lucy covered her face and wept bitterly; the rent was once again out of reach.

They each have their own merits and unique charm.

However, right now, Riyao just wants to find a quiet place to laze around and doesn't want to socialize.

Waves of people flocked to him, wanting to befriend him. There were merchants from neighboring towns, mages who came because of his reputation, and even a few young girls who claimed to be his fans.

A stiff smile hung on his face, the curve of his lips as if glued in place.

While dealing with the endless stream of visitors, he frantically prayed in his heart that someone would come and rescue him, even if it meant being knocked away.

What's more troublesome is that there are some familiar faces inside, and it's really too embarrassing to just avoid them.

Riyao and was immediately overjoyed.

He rushed over in three strides, stomped on Yi Ye who was posing, and used the height of this "human stepping stone" to wave enthusiastically to Chairman Bob of the Blue Pegasus.

"President Bob, you've come to Magnolia for a visit too!"

Riyao smiled broadly, secretly exerting a bit of force with his feet, and let out a muffled groan.

"The old man is reading a swimsuit magazine in his office."

Chairman Bob raised his hand to cover the corner of his mouth, letting out a series of his signature barbell-like laughs, which were deep and penetrating, drawing the attention of many people around him.

"Oh my, Little Riyao is still so energetic."

Chairman Bob lowered his hand, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"You've really stirred things up this time."

Riyao immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, feigning innocence and disclaiming any involvement.

"It was all Laxus's doing, it has nothing to do with me."

"MAN~ Riyao, your legwork is still as amazing as ever."

He lay prostrate at the feet of the Riyao all night, struggled to raise his head, and exclaimed in his signature tone.

He struggled symbolically for a couple of moments under Riyao's feet, but finding he couldn't break free, he simply gave up and collapsed to the ground, adopting a "that's it" attitude.

Riyao glanced down at Ichiya at his feet, a wicked smile playing on his lips. He kicked Ichiya like a ball towards Erza was not far away.

Erza was elegantly sipping a cup of black tea when she caught a glimpse of an unidentified object flying towards her. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she nearly dropped the teacup.

She let out a short scream and turned to run with a speed completely out of character for her usual heroic demeanor, dodging behind Mirajane in a single stride, revealing only half of her wary face.

He flew through the air in an arc, finally landing face down where Erza had just been standing. He raised one hand and gave a thumbs-up.

"MAN~"

The people from the Lamia Scale have also arrived.

Jura was wearing a brand-new robe of the Ten Wizard Saints. The fabric of the robe shimmered subtly in the sunlight, making his already imposing figure appear even more steady and reliable.

He strode over, each step carrying a reassuring sense of groundedness.

"Your Excellency Riyao, how have you been lately?"

Jura slightly, his voice low and gentle.

"It's quite moisturizing."

Riyao looked Jura up and down in Jura new attire and nodded.

"Jura, you look even more reliable in the robes of the Ten Wizard Saints."

Jura smiled wryly upon hearing this, raised his hand and scratched the back of his head. His simple and honest smile created a strange contrast with his status as one of the Ten Wizard Saints.

"Stop teasing me, these Ten Wizard Saints should be yours."

Riyao waved his hand, his tone casual yet revealing a hint of clarity.

"Impossible. Given the Magic Council's past attitude, how could they possibly let my guild have two Ten Wizard Saints steal their thunder?"

Jura opened her mouth, thought for a moment, and ultimately did not refute.

He nodded silently, a complex look of agreement flashing in his eyes.

Just then, Lyon emerged from behind Jura and immediately spotted Gray in the crowd.

He strode over, and the two had barely exchanged a few words when Lyon's eyes reddened, as if hail had entered them, and tears streamed down his face.

He rushed to Ur, knelt down with a thud, hugged Ur's legs tightly with both hands, and cried uncontrollably, his face covered in snot and tears.

Gray stood aside, watching the scene expressionlessly. With a flick of his finger, an ice blade shot out from his fingertip, precisely carving a thin, long slit in the floor.

He gestured with his chin toward the crack, his tone as casual as if he were remarking on the pleasant weather.

"Lyon, I left you a crack in the ground, don't be shy."

The two dark-skinned young men and women who worked for Gajeel also came to visit.

They made their way through the crowd and saw Gajeel and Juvia sitting in a corner, their faces showing surprise and delight. They quickly walked over.

"Gajeel, Juvia, I didn't expect you two to actually join Fairy Tail."

The dark-skinned guy patted Gajeel on the shoulder, his tone full of emotion.

"That guy Totomaru, said he's going to become a fire magic teacher; he doesn't want to fight anymore."

The dark-skinned girl added, shrugging her shoulders.

Gajeel leaned back in his chair, took a screw out of his pocket, popped it into his mouth, and began to chew it, the metal fragment making a screeching sound between his teeth.

After swallowing, he wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb and snorted.

"Hmph, I wouldn't come if Juvia hadn't begged me to join."

Before the words had even finished, Natsu, as if equipped with radar, came over.

He pushed his way out of the crowd, stood in front of Gajeel with his hands on his hips, and breathed two wisps of fire from his nostrils.

"Huh? What are you talking about, you big iron lump? Want to fight?"

Lucy followed behind Natsu, holding her forehead in exasperation, her lips twitching as she muttered a complaint.

"How did this get into a fight?"

Juvia's gaze passed over Natsu and was firmly fixed on Lucy.

Her eyes became deep and resentful, and a visible black resentment began to emanate from her body. The resentment was as thick as ink, making the surrounding temperature seem to drop several degrees.

"Rival in love~"

Juvia's voice drifted out softly, its drawn-out tone filled with jealousy.

Lucy felt a chill run down her spine under that gaze, her lips twitched, and she sighed helplessly.

Happy suddenly appeared out of nowhere, one paw covering his mouth, the other pointing at Lucy and Juvia, clicking his tongue in that cheeky tone.

"They're having an affair~"

"Stinky cat!"

Enraged, Lucy swung her fist at him, Happy deftly dodged it.

Just then, Carla led Wendy into the guild.

Happy's eyes instantly turned into two hearts, and the entire cat transformed into a blue flash, appearing in front of Carla at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

He knelt on one knee, cupped a still-wriggling fresh fish in his hands, held it high, and plastered a fawning smile on his face.

"Get out of the way, you stupid tomcat!"

Carla slapped Happy's face away with a paw in disgust.

Happy was spun around twice after being patted, but covered his cheek with a blissful expression.

"The first thing Carla said when she came in was to me."

Seeing this, Lucy immediately seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for revenge, covered her mouth, clicked her tongue, and imitated Happy's tone.

"They're having an affair~"

Wendy took small, quick steps to Riyao, neatly folded her hands in front of her, gave a slight bow, and spoke in a soft, sweet voice.

"Mr. Riyao, Sister Mira."

Mirajane's eyes lit up instantly. Without saying a word, she squatted down, pulled Wendy into her arms, and rubbed her cheek against hers.

The way it rubbed against me was both affectionate and forceful, just like petting a fluffy little animal.

Mirajane's voice was filled with ecstasy.

"Wendy is still so cute! Join our guild, hehe, and come stay at my place sometime."

Wendy's little face was distorted from being rubbed, her mouth was squeezed into a small circle, and her voice came out indistinctly from Mirajane's arms.

"Um, Mira, could you please let me go?"

Lisanna also saw Wendy, her eyes lit up, and she skipped over to join in "torturing" Wendy, gently rubbing Wendy's head with both hands.

Wendy struggled to extend a hand through the gap in Mirajane's embrace and waved it in Carla's direction for help.

Carla turned her head away expressionlessly, pretending not to have seen anything.

What a joke! What if those two humans grabbed her and started rubbing against her? Would Carla lose all face?

Riyao stood to the side, watching Wendy being rubbed and kneaded, and his fingers unconsciously twitched.

To be honest, he also really wanted to cuddle and snuggle up to Wendy; she's so cute, I don't know how she was born.

Lucy took out a key from her waist, turned it gently, and a golden light flashed, summoning Leo from the Celestial Spirit World.

As soon as Leo landed, he saw Chairman Bob. The two looked at each other and showed expressions of surprise. They quickly walked towards each other and exchanged a warm greeting.

The three Thunder God Tribe naturally blended into the guild's atmosphere.

Bickslow chatted and laughed with those around him, then added seriously that he had said if Gray had worn some clothes, he might not have been so badly injured, which drew laughter from those around him.

Evergreen sat to one side, carefully examining his face in the small mirror, his fingers gently brushing aside the stray hairs on his forehead.

She's just vain; otherwise, if she had taken off her glasses and scanned the room, countless people would have suffered.

Freed sat quietly in the corner, his hair cut extremely short, his scalp almost visible through the thin stubble.

When Riyao saw him like this, his eyes lit up immediately. Without saying a word, he went over and placed one hand on the top of Freed's head, rubbing it frantically.

(´◊ω◊`)

A tingling, itchy sensation came from his palm, the feel of which was surprisingly good. Riyao became more and more addicted to rubbing it, while Freed looked utterly hopeless and let him do as he pleased.

It could be said that the three of them initially just felt that the guild members were too lax and were treating the internal war as training.

Looking at the lively scene in the guild, a smile unconsciously crept onto their lips.